Lubricator.



R. NI. AKIN.

LUBRICATOR.

APPLlcATloN FILED 1uLY7,1915.

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LUBRICATOR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 5, 1916.

Application filed July 7, 1915. Serial No. 38,612.

'To all whom t may concern Be it known that I, ROBERT M. AKIN, a citizenof the United States, and a resident of Ossining, in the county ofWestchester and State of New York, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Lubricators, of which the following is a specication.

This invention relates to and has for an object to provide improvedmeans for applying lubricant to bearing surfaces. It is peculiarlyadapted for use in car axle boxes for applying a limited but constantsupply of lubricant to the axles.

rllhe cotton waste and other fibrous materials generally employed in theaxle boxes mats down and becomes soggy, which requires frequent stirringup because such material possesses no inherent' capability of recoveryfrom compression, particularly that due to the vibration and j arincident to the running of the car. The present lubricator, however,provides a mass of material which is of an absorptive charactercontaining'cell spaces and capillary spaces of various sizes closelyinterrelated in such manner that the lubricant will be received andstored in sufficient quantities for use and conveyed in limitedqualities, but constantly, to the bearing surfaces. It is preferablycomposed of absorptive fibrous strands and smooth surfaced unabsorptiveresilient strands bundled together in a tangled mass in constantrelative proportions. The ratio of the constituent elements remainsconstant while a particular mass is in use, and also remains constant inthe general supply mass from which the individual or unit masses aretaken from time to time, so that as the workman has occasion to takethis material from the supply, whether he takes it when the bale isfirst opened or takes the last remnant, the predetermined andV originalratios will be found to exist.

In the drawings accompanying this specication, the invention has beendepicted illustratively, in which drawings- Figure 1 is a perspectiveview of a mass of material intended to represent a mass of my improvedlubricator. Figs. 2, 3 and 4 are perspective views of portions ofcombined material prior to being massed together, the characteristics ofthese being referred to below.

The mass, as for instance, the mass represented in Fig. 1, is preferablymade up of a cord 5, or a plurality of cords, bundled together in atangled mass. Before describing the mass which constitutes thelubricator it will be well to analyze its constituents. Briefly statedthe cord 5 is made up of fibrous strands, and resilient material, theresiliency of which is not aected by a more or less liquidvlubricant.

The enlarged fragments of cord represented in Figs. 2, 3 and 4 areintended to be illustrative of the manner in which the cord is formed.In Fig. 2 the cord 52 is formed of a twisted cord 62 of some absorptivematerial. Linen or cotton will furnish a good absorptive fibrousmaterial for this purpose. Around the cord 62 `is shown loosely wrappeda strand 7 2 of resilient non-fibrous material. In the present instancethis latter is a very thin ribbon of bronze-a thin flat metal wire. InFig. 3 the cord 53 is formed of a twisted cord 63similar to the twistedf cord 62 of Fig. 2, and a resilient non-fibrous strand 7 3, lthe cord63 and the strand 73 being equally twisted together. The metallic ribbonis preferably of a smooth surface with smooth regular edges, initiallypolished and shiny.

The looseness o-f the original construction of the absorptive strand andthe tightness or looseness of the resilient strand are determined by theuse to which the lubricator is to be put and also by the quality andcondition of the lubricant which is to be applied thereby. In someinstances a compound cord or cable will be desirable. This isillustrated in Fig. 4. The cord 54 is shown composed of two cords 54atwisted together. Each of these cords 54a is shown having its fibrousstrand 64 composed of two tightly twisted strands 64a tightly twistedtogether, around which is wrapped the resilient strand 74. In theillustration it is sho-wn wrapped in a reverse direction to the twist ofthe cord 64. In this instance the combined structure is resilient inaddition to the resiliency of the metallic ribbon 74.

As before stated these are given as illustrative instances of what Ihave found to be the preferable form of construction at the present timefor the uses to which I have applied the lubricator. For cheapness anduniformity of product, suitable machinery is employed in the manufactureof the cord 5. A quantity of this cord after being fabricated is bundledtogether in atangled-mass and the relative proportions of the iibrousabsorptive material and the unabsorptive resilient material remainconstant in that mass both during the time that the mass is drawn uponby the various workmen to supply the demands and also while suchmaterial is in use.

TWhat I claim is l. The herein described lubricator comprising cordsformed of iibrous strands wound around with and held together bymetallic ribbons, said metallic ribbons lying entirely on the outside ofthe cords respectively thus formed. v

2. The herein described lubricator comprising` a cord formed of librousstrands wound about with a flat metallic ribbon, one face of said ribbonbeing always against said fibrous strands and the other face alwaysturned outwardly to resist abrasion.

3. The herein described lubricator comprising a cord formed of fibrousmaterial wound around with a flat metallic ribbon, one face of saidribbon lying always against the iibrous material and the other facethereof projecting radially of the cord beyond the brous material.

4. The herein described lubricator comprising a cord formed of librousmaterial having a flat metallic binder wound helically n therearound,said binder projecting beyond the fibrous portions of said cord.

5. The herein described lubricator comprising a cord formed of fibrousstrands armored by winding helically therearound a lat metallic ribbon.

The herein described lubricator coniprising fibrous material spun into ayarn and wrapped helically with a iiat metallic strand, one face of saidmetallic strand lying always against the iibrous material.

7 The herein described lubricator comprising fibrous material formedinto a twisted yarn and wrapped helically with a flat metallic strand ina direction opposite to the direction of twist in the yarn, one face ofsaid metallic strand lying always against the fibrous material. 8. Theherein described lubricator comprising fibrous material formed into atwisted yarn and armored with a helically wound flat metallic ribbon.

Signed at New York, in the county oi New York and State of New York,this 1st day of July, 1915, before two subscribing witnesses.

CHAs.' W. LA RUE, MORRIS E. LEVY.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, .'D. C.

